Randonneuring in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas

Brevets – April 26, 2014

There were two brevets scheduled for Saturday, April 26, 2014. I expected a low turnout because there were many competing events on the same weekend. One of the problems with picking dates for future RUSA events is that they must be done the year before…so it is hard to guess what dates are best.

The weather was predicted to be humid, hot and windy and for once the weatherman was right!!

There were four riders who attempted the 200K with no riders attempting the 300K. This was understandable considering the weather conditions.

I along with three other riders started the 200K. One rider dropped out at about the halfway point, around 60 miles, that was where the riding became difficult.

The wind, humidity and temperature really became difficult for me. Even though I had done this route successfully four times before I reluctantly dropped out at around mile 100. The heat and wind was just too much for me and I have ridden in hotter temps. I think the cooler than normal winter caught up with me…or maybe too many training miles..which I have piled up this year.

So I had my first DNF of my short bike “career”. The other two riders, Ted O’Dowd and Lori Tijerina were able to finish. They are both Ironman type of athletes but were exhausted at the end of the ride. I commend them for completing a very difficult ride as winds gusted over 40 Mph during the day with temps in the upper 90s.

I’ll post more blog updates and the official results later. The next “official” RUSA event for this year is November 15th, 2014. Hope the weather is better for that one. I’ll also be working on the schedule and some possible new routes for next year in the coming months.

See you out there on the bike paths, be safe and keep riding.

Regards,

Richard Cavin
South Texas RBA
RUSA #8720
Email: rgvrandos@gmail.com

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